Central Lincolnshire Local Plan Consultation Starts

This post provides some context of the now live Local Plan consultation and what it means for Long Leys.

Consultation 16 March to 9 May 2022

The Central Lincolnshire authorities are preparing a new Local Plan to replace the Local Plan adopted in 2017 and the third and final stage of consultation has now opened before it is submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination.

The consultation runs for 8 weeks from 16 March to 9 May 2022. Anyone can make comments on this plan if they wish. Register for the CLLP consultation and review the key documents (opens in new tab).

The review was driven by changes in government policy, as expressed in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). There were multiple reasons for updating NPPF but some of the key changes were around managing the impact of climate change and ensuring an adequate supply of housing.

What it Means for Long Leys

LLRA, as a designated Neighbourhood Planning Forum, have been invited to participate in the consultation. There is a huge amount of new detail to go through, although we have been involved in previous consultation rounds so (hopefully) won’t get any major surprises. New policies on managing the impact of climate change (eg flood mitigation) will have a broad impact on Long Leys. Having had a brief review of some of the documentation, the specifics for Long Leys on housing is summarised as follows:

Long Leys has one preferred housing site presented on the policies map (which already has planning permission):

• COL/CAR/004 Church off Long Leys Road, Lincoln, 10 dwellings 0.46 hectares

Two other sites were rejected for housing and not presented on the policies map. One site was considered as a “Reasonable alternative” and was reviewed for suitability for site allocation:

• COL/CAR/002 Farmland South of Long Leys Road, 507 dwellings 21.11 hectares

The other site was rejected at site sift stage and was not reviewed for site allocation:

• COL/CAR/001 Farmland North of Long Leys Road, 1,115 dwellings 46.47 hectares

LLRA’s view is that COL/CAR/002 would come back into focus only if the delivery of housing on allocated sites fell behind schedule. Our working assumption of 50 new homes in Long Leys in the next 20 years still appears realistic, although this does not factor in potential future developments such as master planning of the Albion Works site or changes on the St George’s hospital site (both of which have been on the agenda for some years).

The major sites around Long Leys are:

• COL/BOU/001 Western Growth Corridor, 3,200 dwellings 355 hectares
• COL/CAS/001 Land north of Ermine West (Queen Elizabeth Road), 303 dwellings 13,52 hectares

Other significant sites (in North Kesteven):

• NK/CAN/003 South East Quadrant, Canwick Heath, 6,000 dwellings 463.5 hectares

Background to the Local Plan Review

Central Lincolnshire is made up of the three district councils of North Kesteven, West Lindsey and City of Lincoln. The Central Lincolnshire Local Plan (CLLP) contains planning policies and allocations for the growth and regeneration of Central Lincolnshire over the next 20 years. It has been prepared by the Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee (CLJSPC).

The objectives of the local plan include:

• Climate Change Effects and Energy: To minimise the effects of climate change by developing the area’s renewable and low carbon energy and heat, reducing dependency on fossil fuels, minimise energy usage, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the area contributing to the achievement of a carbon net-zero Central Lincolnshire.
• Climate Change Adaptation and Flood Risk: To minimise vulnerability, improve community resilience and ensure Central Lincolnshire adapts to the effects of climate change, both now and in the future through careful planning and design of the built and natural environment.
• Transport and Accessibility: To make efficient use of the existing transport infrastructure and seek to extend and enhance infrastructure to match local needs. To reduce the need to travel by car, improve accessibility to jobs and services for all and to ensure that all journeys are undertaken by the most sustainable travel modes (particularly public transport, walking and cycling).
• Natural Resources – Water: To protect and enhance water resources and their quality in Central Lincolnshire.
• Pollution: To minimise pollution (air, noise and light) and improve air quality.
• Housing: To ensure that the housing stock meets the housing needs of the Central Lincolnshire area and appropriate infrastructure is provided to support sustainable communities.

See consultation for full details on all objectives.